The Beach Apartment
Kelly had just finished packing a bag for Cassie so that she could spend the weekend with the Walshes and was now working on a bag for herself when Donna walked in. Cassie grabbed her teddy bear off her bed before running out of the room to find Uncle David. Kelly looked up at her friend before she continued to pack. She knew Donna didn't approve of how she was going about this, but she didn't care… this was how she wanted to do it.
"I still think you should just call him." Donna said leaning against the doorframe.
"I know that Donna, but I have to do this my way." Kelly said putting a picture of Cassie into her bag.
"Fine… but I hope you know what you're doing." Donna said before walking into her room across the hall.
"I hope I do too!" Kelly whispered under her breath.
She put a few more outfits into the bag before zipping it shut and setting it in the corner by Cassie's bag. She took one last glance around the room, just to make sure she didn't forget anything, and saw her plane ticket sitting on her desk. She couldn't leave without that, but just as she went to pick up the ticket the phone rang so she answered it.
"Hey Kelly… miss me?" The man on the other end asked.
"How did you get this number Dan?" Kelly asked her mood suddenly changing from blissful to angry.
"You didn't think you could hide from me forever did you?" Dan said answering a question with a question.
"What do you want from me?" Kelly asked not really wanting to play this game again.
"I think you know!" Dan said hanging up the phone.
"Jerk!" Kelly said into the phone just after he hung up.
She tossed the phone onto her bed and shook her head. It was at the time that she took the ticket in her hand and closed her eyes before sighing and sticking the ticket in her bag. As she grabbed both the bags by the door she really wished that Dan hadn't called. She put her hand on the light-switch and flipped it off before heading into the living room.
"Okay Cassie, time to go!" She said forcing a smile.
Casa Walsh
It was about four when Kelly's car pulled into the driveway. Brenda was sitting outside on the steps waiting for them to get there, on top of thinking about Dylan. Kelly walked up to her with a worried look on her face and Cassie trailing behind her. Brenda knew something was wrong just by the look in her best friend's face.
"Okay, so I have everything she'll need in this bag… including the number of the hotel where I'll be." Kelly said handing Brenda the bag.
"Kel, what's wrong? You have that 'something's up' face again." Brenda said throwing the bag over her shoulder.
"I just got this creepy call from this guy I used to hang out with… it's really no big deal… just keep a close eye on her and call me if anything happens!" Kelly said still thinking about Dan's words.
"Has anyone told you that you are a really bad lair?" Brenda said opening the door and placing the bag inside.
"I'm just worried about Cassie… that's all. This is the first time she has stayed somewhere other than my mom's… I guess I am just paranoid." Kelly said trying to shrug off the horrible feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.
"If you say so… Have a good flight." Brenda said getting ready to take Cassie inside.
"Cassie, sweetie… mommy will be back in a few days okay?" Kelly told her daughter.
"You're leaving me?" Cassie asked with watery eyes.
"Only for a few days… I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise… I love you!" Kelly said kneeling down with her arms open for a hug.
"I love you too mommy." Cassie said hugging Kelly so tight, almost like she would never let go.
The two embraced for a few more minutes before Kelly pulled Cassie away from her and held her at arms length. She smiled the best smile she could and pulled Cassie in for one more hug before heading back to her car. There was one more place she had to stop before she was ready to head to the airport. She wasn't going to leave Beverly Hills before making sure that she still had that one friend she had kind of made feel like dirt.
Dylan's House
Dylan was sitting on his couch reading a book he had been given from his father before he was murdered. Things really hadn't been going his way and he had just been feeling like his life was falling apart before his eyes. On the coffee table in front of him was an unopened bottle of tequila and so far he had managed to keep it that way, but after everything that had happened the past year he didn't know how much longer that would last. He was deep in thought when the doorbell rang.
"Come in its open!" he called from his place on the couch.
"Dylan can we talk?" Kelly asked as she opened the door.
"I thought you said everything you wanted to say at the hospital." Dylan said still staring at the pages in his book.
"Can you put that book down for a second? I'm trying to apologize." Kelly said seeing the bottle. "Did you start drinking again?" Kelly asked slightly louder than she wanted to.
"Why do you care? I thought you wished we never met!" Dylan said grabbing the bottle.
"Regardless of how you may think of me right now… I still care about you… and I don't want you to end up smeared across the highway somewhere!" Kelly said trying to grab the bottle away from him.
"This is none of your business Kel… If I wanna drink, I'll drink!" Dylan said a little irritated by her. "And I thought you came over here to apologize." He said a bit more bitter than before.
"You know what… forget it… if you're going to run to the bottle every time things get tough than I don't think we should be friends!" Kelly yelled at him.
"Does this look open to you?" Dylan screamed back at her. "I don't think so… so before you go judging me, maybe you should get your facts straight." He yelled emphasizing the 'you.'
"Well, what am I supposed to think when I walk in and see a tequila bottle sitting right in front of you?" Kelly wasn't about to let up now.
"That I'm strong enough to resist it!" Dylan screamed back in her face.
"Have it your way… I'm leaving!" Kelly said walking to the door.
As she walked out of the front door Dylan could hear the door slam behind her. Before long he could even hear the sound of her tires squealing as she peeled out of his driveway. He shrugged off everything she had said to him and placed the bottle back on the coffee table, still unopened. If she had given him anything in the whole time they had gone out, it was the will power to leave that bottle sitting there.
The Plane To DC
Kelly sat on that plane and just thought about how she had left things with Dylan… why he always got to her she would never know. It was then that she started to think about Brandon, and how she was going to tell him about her big secret. The only thing she knew was that it was going to be the toughest thing she would ever have to tell him. It was then that she flashed back to all the times they had spent together.
She thought about, all those one on one basketball games she had played with him in the backyard while she waited for Brenda to get done doing whatever it was she was doing at the time. She smiled as she remembered how he always let her win regardless of who was watching them.
She thought about the camping trip they had taken and how Brandon had tried to make the whole trip better for them. How he had given her his sleeping bag when Steve had spilt something on it.
She even thought about the Task Force Retreat she had accompanied him on and how they had gone for a walk in the park. She touched her lips as she remembered that kiss they had shared and how good it had felt to be with someone who truly cared for her. Someone she trusted with her life.
Of course, then she thought about that phone call as the flight attendant came on the loud speaker to inform the passengers that the plane would be landing shortly. She couldn't believe that Dan had even gotten her number, but more importantly she was scared about what he meant by what he said. She had no idea what he wanted, and as long as it wasn't Cassie she would be more than happy to give it to him.
"Miss you're going to have to put your tray up now!" The flight attendant said.
"Oh… sorry." Kelly said locking the tray in its place.